The First Minister's speech in London included a barefaced and quite
incredible assault on her new allies about their behaviour in the Scottish
independence referendum.

That your enemy’s enemy is your friend is a time-worn maxim of international affairs and politics, possibly best expressed by Churchill’s famous wartime statement that “ If Hitler invaded Hell I would make at least a favourable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons.”

However, and without drawing any parallels between that quotation and the First Minister of Scotland, I would counsel caution on those who were once her dyed-in-the-wool opponents but who are now looking forward to working with Nicola Sturgeon to keep Britain in the EU.

Will Straw, executive director of Britain Stronger In Europe, said: "It is fantastic to see Nicola Sturgeon campaigning passionately to keep the UK in Europe.

"Our campaign is committed to working with people of all parties and none to make the case that all parts of the UK benefit from our membership of the EU, which creates jobs, lowers prices and keeps us more secure."

Then, she said, those campaigning against her plan to break-up Britain had indulged, she said, “in a miserable, negative, fear-based campaign.” And, biggest surprise of all perhaps, was that Ms Sturgeon managed to keep a straight face when she said it.

Yet this was the lady who was at the very heart of perhaps the biggest scare campaign of the entire referendum – essentially claiming that a vote against separation could result in the break up, indeed the end, of the National Health Service in Scotland. This, in spite of the fact that health is one of the many policies that is entirely devolved to the Scottish Parliament with the result if the NHS is to be privatised only Holyrood can do it.

And when she rails against Project Fear, she understandably omits to accept that the No campaign was simply countering all the whoppers perpetrated by her and Alex Salmond – like oil staying at over $100 a barrel and an independent Scotland being able to keep sterling when the rest of the UK said this wasn’t on.

Nicola Sturgeon made a series of dire warnings about the Scottish NHS during the independence referendum Photo: HEMEDIA

Tory politicians in Scotland quite rightly rushed to rubbish the Sturgeon-onslaught yesterday and all Unionists would be wise to tread carefully.

Needless to say, such a principled politician as Nicola Sturgeon wouldn’t dream of working with the Tories on this or any other campaign. Lucky Tories, is all I can say. However, Kezia Dugdale, the Scottish Labour leader, made encouraging noises yesterday about sharing a platform with the SNP leader and I dare say the Lib Dems would be only too happy to concur.

And as this latter outcome is the dearest wish of the majority of her rank and file membership surely that’s what they’d prefer her to help deliver.

Britain staying in the EU and Scotland staying in the UK: is that what nationalists really want? I don’t believe it for a second.

Could it be that la Sturgeon knows that she hasn’t a hope in hell of winning another independence referendum any time soon but has got to keep talking up the threat of one to keep her more wild-eyed supporters happy?